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Byram Hills presents assessment data showing strong regional rankings; science test change noted
Summary
District staff presented New York State assessment results and regional comparisons across Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties. Presenters said Byram Hills ranks near the top regionally in several grades and subjects, noted the introduction of new science assessments, and cautioned about small subgroup sample sizes.
District staff presented the official New York State assessment results for 2021–2024 and a regional comparison across Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties during the Dec. 10 Board of Education meeting.
Tim, a district staff member, reviewed multi-year trends and regional comparisons across roughly 55 districts. He said Byram Hills students performed well relative to the regional average and highlighted specific results: for example, he reported the district was ranked number 2 among the 55 districts in 8th-grade ELA and ranked number 1 in 8th-grade math for the most recent reporting year. Tim told the board the colored bars on his slides showed Byram Hills performance and inner bars showed the regional average.
Tim cautioned that small subgroup sizes, particularly for students with disabilities, can produce large year-to-year swings; he said subgroup figures are often in the teens ("maybe 20 students max") and so a handful of students changing results can alter percentage points.
Staff also noted the introduction of new state science assessments in 5th and 8th grades. Tim said the science tests were aligned to new standards and yielded lower absolute proficiency percentages compared with prior tests, but that Byram Hills performed above the regional average on the new assessments and ranked well. He summarized that the district has been working since 2019 on aligning curriculum to the new science standards and said the district's relative performance was encouraging for an initial administration of the revised tests.
High-school Regents results and updated algebra and social-studies indicators were also reviewed; Tim said regents pass rates remain high and that the K–8 testing is intended to prepare students for those high-school assessments.
Ending: Tim closed by noting the district will continue to dig into data at more granular levels to understand trends and the impact of programs such as Global Scholars and schedule changes at the high school.
